Emiya and Tohsaka

Beyond Homurahara Academy lay a stretch of forest. Sasuke, his Susanoo activated in its initial stage, followed the magical energy trail left by the chain-dagger from moments ago.

The forest was deathly silent. With evening setting in, the canopy of towering trees blocked out the sky, casting the surroundings into deep gloom.

Yet, for Sasuke and his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, this was of no consequence.

As for the fellow hiding in the shadows, waiting to launch an attack, Sasuke scoffed:

"I have no idea what kind of monsters you lot are."

"But if you think you can hide from these eyes..."

"You are being far too naive!"

The Sharingan possessed perception far beyond that of an ordinary person, capable of observing the flow of chakra—and now, that simply translated from chakra to magical energy!

The figure lurking in the trees was already reflected clearly within Sasuke's eyes!

Without a moment's hesitation, Sasuke opened with a lethal strike!

Accompanied by the sound of tearing bone, the Susanoo, which had previously only manifested as a spine and ribs, began to grow frantically!

It first took the form of a skeletal upper body, then, fueled by the release of magical energy, flesh and meridians bloomed over the bones!

Simultaneously, a bow and arrow forged from magical energy materialized in the Susanoo's hands!

Sasuke commanded the Susanoo to draw the bowstring to its limit, and a massive arrow condensed from magical energy was fired in an instant!

The process took but a heartbeat. The surrounding air trembled as the colossal purple arrow tore through the forest with unstoppable force, shredding and obliterating everything in its path!

Even so, Sasuke's expression remained indifferent.

Because just as the arrow was about to strike its target, the creature had vanished from the spot.

Though the target was lost, the fired arrow could not be recalled. It struck the ground where the enemy had stood, releasing a vast amount of magical energy and triggering a powerful explosion!

The earth shook violently, and the shockwave sent fallen leaves swirling into the air!

Sasuke understood that his opponent was nothing more than a coward who bullied the weak, and he had no interest in entangling himself further.

Still, he hoped that the next time they met, this fellow would be just as lucky in his escape.

As the creature's magical signature dissipated entirely, Sasuke dispelled his Susanoo with a look of disgust and turned to sprint back toward the academy.

The Mangekyou in his eyes faded back to three tomoe, eventually settling into normal, black pupils.

Back at the academy, Rin Tohsaka was still using gems to treat Kaoru Sakura.

Compared to the pale, pain-stricken girl from moments ago, Kaoru now had color in her cheeks and a calm expression; she was, for all intents and purposes, out of danger.

Sasuke, having returned from the forest outside the school, breathed a slight sigh of relief upon seeing this. He looked at Shirou Emiya and Rin Tohsaka and said:

"My thanks."

Rin Tohsaka finished the treatment and let out a slow breath:

"It's nothing. You saved us earlier, after all."

"This girl is Kaoru Sakura, right? She might still be a bit weak, but she should be fine if she rests at home for a few days."

"Are you a magus?"

Shirou Emiya and Rin Tohsaka had felt the tremors from the explosion quite clearly.

The young man before them was undoubtedly a first-rate magus!

Furthermore, judging by the attack that had ambushed them earlier, that was definitely a Servant.

In other words, this person had not only blocked a Servant's attack and driven the Servant back, but had done so without a single scratch.

Seeing that Sasuke offered no answer, Rin Tohsaka changed her approach:

"Are you a Master?"

Sasuke responded with an expressionless face:

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

Rin Tohsaka frowned slightly, staring directly into Sasuke's eyes:

"You possess Mystic Eyes, don't you?"

Sasuke was completely unfamiliar with the terminology Rin Tohsaka was using. He had never expected that in this seemingly peaceful land, such bizarre abilities would exist.

Moreover, if he wanted to find out who was responsible for harming Kaoru Sakura, these two people before him would make excellent assistants.

"Mystic Eyes? I suppose that is one way to put it."

"As for the magus and Master you speak of, I am not familiar with them."

"However, I do wish to know what you are talking about—especially regarding that thing that harmed Kaoru. What exactly is it?"

Hearing Sasuke's words, Rin Tohsaka clutched her forehead and sighed:

"It seems you're even more of a novice in this regard than Shirou Emiya."

Shirou Emiya, suddenly singled out by Rin Tohsaka, let out a confused "Ah."

Rin Tohsaka smiled faintly at Shirou Emiya's reaction, then extended an invitation to the two of them:

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Rin Tohsaka."

"I happen to have some things to discuss with Shirou Emiya, and I can take this opportunity to explain everything that happened today."

"If you don't mind, Kaoru Sakura could come to my house to rest for a while. I can also help her recover a bit more."

"What do you think?"

Sasuke Uchiha had no objections to going to Rin Tohsaka's home, but he had to think twice about bringing Kaoru Sakura along.

It was obvious that the two people before him were not normal; they were so-called magi.

However, Kaoru Sakura, who had always looked up to Sasuke as an older brother, was nothing more than an ordinary high school girl.

Sasuke would hunt down the person who had harmed Kaoru, but he could not allow her to be dragged into this conflict.

Seeing Sasuke's hesitation, Shirou Emiya reached out to express his gratitude:

"Thanks to your intervention earlier, I'm Shirou Emiya."

"I hope you can trust Rin as well."

"She would never let an ordinary person get involved in this struggle."

Rin Tohsaka had not expected Sasuke to be concerned about such a thing, so she gave him her word:

"Please rest assured. Keeping our existence hidden from ordinary people is one of our rules."

Since Rin Tohsaka had, after all, saved Kaoru Sakura's life, Sasuke had no reason to doubt her. Looking at the two of them, he finally stated his name:

"Sasuke Uchiha."